P-51 Mustang
General Background The P-51 Mustang was designed by North American Aviation in response to a requirement for a license built version of the Curtiss P-40 for the RAF. What emerged was a more modern fighter, and the first prototype, the NA-73 was first seen in September 1940, and first flew in October of the same year. Originally fitted with the Allison V-1710 engine, which early on was ill-suited to high altitude operations, the P-51 entered service with the RAF as a reconnaissance aircraft and as a fighter-bomber. The fitting of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine allowed the P-51 to operate above 15,000 ft. The Packard V-1650-7 was fitted to the P-51D, the most common Mustang variant. From 1943, P-51B/C/Ds were used to escort bombers of the 8th Air Force on air raids over Germany. The USAAF's 9th Air Force and the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force used the P-51 as a fighter-bomber. The P-51 saw service in every theater of operations the USAAF was deployed to, and was claimed to have shot down 4,950 enemy aircraft. In 1947, with the disbanding of the USAAF and the forming of the USAF, P-51s in the USAF inventory were redesignated "F-51", in parallel with standard USAF designation structuring (F = Fighter). The P-51 was eventually replaced by the F-86 Sabre, but the P-51s legacy carried over to the FJ-1 Fury, the US Navy's first operational jet fighter, which carried over many elements of the P-51. Major Variants * NA-73X Prototype variant of the P-51 with the Allison V-1710 engine * NA-73/NA-83 (Mustang Mk. I) Production contract by the British for 320 NA-73 aircraft, with a later 300 NA-83 being requested. 2 were ordered by the USAAC for evaluation purposes, with airframes 41-038 and 41-039 were designated XP-51. Made it's first combat debut in May 1942. It was praised for it's long range capabilities and it's low altitude performance. The Mustang Mk. I became the first single-seat RAF fighter to fly over Germany in October 1942 during a daylight bombing mission while escorting 22 Wellington bombers. * NA-91 (Mustang Mk. IA/P-51) 150 were requested by the USAAC on June 1940. After June 1941, and the reorganization of the USAAC to the USAAF, a better look was taken to overseas conflicts that the US was inevitably going to take part in, and priority was taken in stocking up on fighter aircraft for said conflicts, like the P-38 Lightning, P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Warhawk. The evaluation of the P-51 was delayed, but not ignored. The first 150 P-51s ordered by the USAAF were initially named "Apache", a name reserved for the A-36, but was dropped in favor of the RAF naming (Mustang). The USAAF did not like the mixed armament of the RAF variants, and was entirely changed to four 20 mm Hispano Mk. II (AN/M2 in US service) autocannons. * NA-99 (P-51A/Mustang Mk. II) A contract was placed in June 1942 for 1,200 P-51As. Changes included the use of a new Allison V-1710-81 engine and a change in armament to four 12.7 mm M2 Brownings (AN/M2). Made in parallel with the A-36, the P-51A was made drop-tank capable, and the top speed was increased to 658 km/h. * NA-97 (A-36 Apache/Invader/Mustang) Dive bomber/ground attack variant of the P-51. Changes included the addition of dive brakes, 2 more AN/M2 machine guns in the nose, drop-tank compatibility, and was capable of carrying up to 2 500 lb bombs in the wings. 500 were ordered in April 1942. * P-51D (Mustang Mk. IV) Definitive Mustang variant. Armament changes to 3 AN/M2s per wing, for a total of 6 M2s. Engine was changed to a Packard V-1650-7, a license-built verson of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series engines. The canopy was changed to a "teardrop" or "bubble" canopy, which resolved many visibility issues. Changes in airframe strength allowed the P-51 to carry an assortment of ordnance, 2x 500 lb bombs on each wing and up to 10x 127 mm HVAR rockets, transforming the P-51 into a fighter-bomber. * F-82 ("Twin Mustang") VLR (very long range) version of the P-51, and the final piston-engined fighter to be ordered by the USAF. In essence just a fusing of 2 experimental P-51H fuselages in a similar fashion to the also experimental Messerschmitt Bf 109Z. Could be armed with a maximum of x14 12.7mm AN/M3 machine guns. Saw service in the Korean War. Specifications *Type: Fighter/fighter-bomber *Place of origin: United States *In service: Retired *Number built: 15,586, 273 (F-82) *Weight: 5,490 kg max. takeoff weight, 11.608 max. takeoff weight (F-82) *Length: 9.83 m, 12.93 (F-82) *Wingspan: 11.286 m, 15.62 (F-82) *Height: 4.08 m, 4.22 m (F-82) *Crew: 1 (2 in F-82) *Armament ** x2 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, x4 7.7 mm Browning machine guns (Mustang Mk. I) ** x4 20 mm Hispano Mk. II/AN/M2 autocannons (NA-91/Mustang Mk. IA) ** x4 12.7 mm AN/M2 (NA-99/Mustang Mk. II) ** x6 12.7 mm AN/M2 (NA-97/P-51D/Mustang Mk. IV) ** x6 12.7 mm AN/M3 (F-82, w/o gunpod) ** x14 12.7 mm AN/M3 (F-82, w/ gunpod) *Payload Options: ** x6-x10 127 mm HVAR rockets ** x2 500 lb bombs ** x6 127 mm HVAR rockets & x2 500 lb bombs ** x25 127 mm HVAR rockets (F-82) ** x4 1000 lb bombs (F-82) *Engine: Allison V-1710 (NA-73 - NA-91)/Allison V-1710-81 (NA-97 - NA-99)/Packard V-1650-7 (P-51D), Allison V-1710-145 (F-82) *Max Speed: 708 km/h at 7.6 km altitude, 742 km/h at 6.4 km altitude (F-82) Gallery P-51D.png